To see parts of the bench get some real minutes. The kind of minutes that, say, Colin Castleton (11 points) and David DeJulius played Thursday. The kind of minutes that offer a chance at confidence.

So that when the 2019 NCAA tournament rolls around — and say, foul trouble arises — someone who hadn’t contributed much during the regular season suddenly makes a difference.

Yeah, this was against Nebraska. And the Cornhuskers (15-14, 5-13 Big Ten) are a mess.

Still, they’re a Big Ten team, and it has been a while since U-M has run an opponent off the floor.

The Wolverines, led by 22 points from Jon Teske and 20 points from Ignas Brazdeikis, hadn’t scored 80 since January 13 against Northwestern. They hadn’t moved the ball this decisively — and patiently — in nearly as long.

A maturing Poole

So, Jordan Poole … didn’t take a shot in the first half Thursday. Not one.

Oh, he thought about it. And sized up the rim a few times, as he cradled the ball and looked to the basket from beyond the 3-point line.

Then he’d pass instead. Swing the ball. Trust it will return to him.

Obviously, U-M will need scoring from Poole to beat the better teams in college basketball. But he didn’t hurt the team by forcing shots. Which makes that 0-for-0 in the first 20 minutes a positive.

At one point the sophomore shooting guard took a pass near the 3-point line at the top of the arc. He hesitated, thought about shooting, then lobbed a perfect pass to Castleton, who laid it in for an easy two.

It was the kind of play Beilein needs from Poole, to use the threat of his offensive skill to create for someone else. It’s about decision making and maturity.

Poole showed plenty of both Thursday Perhaps none more than when he attempted his second 3-pointer — his first was blocked.

There he was about to step back and force a tough shot. Instead, he pump-faked, reset his feet closer to the line, and let it fly.

Swish.

He finished with six points, and a better understanding of when to shoot and when to give it up to someone with a better shot.

Help needed

A share of the Big Ten title is still right there for the Wolverines (25-4, 14-4). They are one game behind both Purdue and Michigan State in the loss column.